Zika virus disease: An obscure disease which became a public health emergency

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an ongoing global public health emergency with 70 countries and territories reporting evidence of ZIKV transmission since 2015. On 27 August 2016, Singapore reported its first case of local ZIKV transmission and identified an ongoing cluster. Here, we report the genome sequences of ZIKV strains from two cases and find through phylogenetic analysis that these strains form an earlier branch distinct from the recent large outbreak in the Americas.

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Dual burden of Zika and COVID-19 in India: challenges, opportunities and recommendations

Tropical Medicine and Health ◽

10.1186/s41182-021-00378-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Mainak Bardhan ◽

Debolina Pramanik ◽

Rizana Riyaz ◽

Mohammad Mehedi Hasan ◽

Mohammad Yasir Essar

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Early Diagnosis ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Virus Disease ◽

Healthcare Resources ◽

Health Measures ◽

The World ◽

Significant Public Health ◽

Congenital Zika Syndrome ◽

Dual Burden

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc in the world from last year, and any further insults like Zika virus will surely bring the apocalypse unto us. In July 2021, Zika began spreading in India, mainly in the state of Kerala. Zika infection resembles closely COVID-19 and other arboviral infections, which might lead to delayed and misdiagnosis, further leading to underreporting of cases. Some of the feared complications of Zika include Guillain–Barré syndrome and congenital Zika syndrome leading to microcephaly. Thus, Zika virus disease (ZVD) has significant public health and social impacts. Since the trifecta of infectious diseases (host, agent and environment) are all conducive to the spread of Zika in India, there is a huge risk that ZVD might become endemic in India, which is especially dangerous in the backdrop of this pandemic. This has to be stopped at all costs: the main aspects of which are public health measures, vector control and early diagnosis, especially in case of pregnant women. The diversion of healthcare resources for this pandemic has albeit made this difficult, but we must do our bit if we have to overcome this situation.

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The Healthcare Providers-Patients Relationship and State Obligations in Times of Public Health Emergency

African Journal of Legal Studies ◽

10.1163/17087384-12340012 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 268-298

Author(s):

Gloria C. Nwafor ◽

Anthony O. Nwafor

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Ebola Virus ◽

Virus Disease ◽

Medical Profession ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Public Health Emergency ◽

West African ◽

The State ◽

The West ◽

State Obligations

The recent outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (evd) in the West African sub-region sprung challenges on the healthcare providers in the observance of their ethical rules in dealing with their patients and the State in fulfilling its obligations to ensure that the rights of patients are respected in times of public health emergency. The ethical rules of medical practice demand that the healthcare providers prefer the interests of their patients to the preservation of self. The State is by law under obligation to protect and respect the rights of the patients in all situations. The paper argues that the responses by the healthcare providers and the States in the West African sub region in the wake of the public health emergency fell short of the demands of the ethical rules of the medical profession and the obligation to ensure that the rights of the patients are respected.

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An analysis of International Health Regulations Emergency Committees and Public Health Emergency of International Concern Designations

BMJ Global Health ◽

10.1136/bmjgh-2020-002502 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (6) ◽

pp. e002502 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Lucia Mullen ◽

Christina Potter ◽

Lawrence O Gostin ◽

Anita Cicero ◽

Jennifer B Nuzzo

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Influenza A ◽

Ebola Virus ◽

Virus Disease ◽

International Health ◽

Public Health Emergency ◽

Director General ◽

International Health Regulations ◽

International Response ◽

Health Regulations

IntroductionNine events have been assessed for potential declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). A PHEIC is defined as an extraordinary event that constitutes a public health risk to other states through international spread and requires a coordinated international response. The WHO Director-General convenes Emergency Committees (ECs) to provide their advice on whether an event constitutes a PHEIC. The EC rationales have been criticised for being non-transparent and contradictory to the International Health Regulations (IHR). This first comprehensive analysis of EC rationale provides recommendations to increase clarity of EC decisions which will strengthen the IHR and WHO’s legitimacy in future outbreaks.Methods66 EC statements were reviewed from nine public health outbreaks of influenza A, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, polio, Ebola virus disease, Zika, yellow fever and coronavirus disease-2019. Statements were analysed to determine which of the three IHR criteria were noted as contributing towards the EC’s justification on whether to declare a PHEIC and what language was used to explain the decision.ResultsInterpretation of the criteria were often vague and applied inconsistently. ECs often failed to describe and justify which criteria had been satisfied.DiscussionGuidelines must be developed for the standardised interpretation of IHR core criteria. The ECs must clearly identify and justify which criteria have contributed to their rationale for or against PHEIC declaration.ConclusionStriving for more consistency and transparency in EC justifications would benefit future deliberations and provide more understanding and support for the process.

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Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging findings in infants with microcephaly potentially related to congenital Zika virus infection

Radiologia Brasileira ◽

10.1590/0100-3984.2016.0135 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 51 (2) ◽

pp. 119-122 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Aníbal Araujo Alves Peixoto Filho ◽

Simone Baltar de Freitas ◽

Márcio Morikoshi Ciosaki ◽

Lourenço Nogueira e Oliveira ◽

Onildo Tavares dos Santos Júnior

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽

Computed Tomography ◽

Magnetic Resonance ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Public Health Emergency ◽

Northeastern Brazil ◽

Resonance Imaging ◽

Imaging Characteristics ◽

Pictorial Essay

Abstract The recent association between the increase in the number of neonates with microcephaly in northeastern Brazil and the outbreak of infection with the Zika virus, which has been occurring in the Americas, has been declared a public health emergency of international concern. The evidence that implicates the virus as the cause of this public health emergency has been demonstrated ever more consistently. This pictorial essay illustrates the imaging characteristics seen on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans of infants admitted to a rehabilitation hospital with a diagnosis of microcephaly and a maternal history of rash during pregnancy.

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Quarantine for Zika Virus? Where is the Science?

Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness ◽

10.1017/dmp.2016.56 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 704-706 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Kristi L. Koenig

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Ebola Virus ◽

Virus Disease ◽

Rapid Test ◽

Signs And Symptoms ◽

World Health ◽

Virus Infections ◽

Health Organization ◽

Spread Of Infection

AbstractIn January 2016, the World Health Organization warned that Zika virus is “spreading explosively” in the Americas and that up to 4 million infections could be present worldwide within a year. Soon thereafter, some politicians and authors publicly advocated for quarantine of travelers returning from regions where mosquitoes carrying Zika virus are prevalent. The public health tool of quarantine can be used to prevent the spread of infection by restricting the movement of persons who have been exposed to a deadly disease that can be transmitted from person to person before symptom onset. With 80% of Zika virus infections being asymptomatic, no rapid test being available to detect the virus, and primary transmission being via the bites of certain mosquitoes, application of quarantine in this setting is not scientifically sound or practically feasible. Rather, public health interventions should focus on preventing bites from infected mosquitoes, counseling pregnant women on the risks of fetal microcephaly and other birth defects, and identifying patients with signs and symptoms of Guillain-Barré syndrome. As was seen in the Ebola virus disease outbreak of 2014, non-evidence-based factors can influence policy decisions. Public health experts must ensure that policy makers are informed that quarantine is not a scientifically sound approach for the control of Zika virus. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;0:1–3)

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